#Checksite for phishing install
#Checksite for phishing software

But first, let us try to break down what scammers and con artists are after and what some common types of attacks are. While working at Webnames.ca, I have investigated numerous fake, fraudulent or phishing websites, and they usually have a number of common traits to look for. – CyberSecurity Ventures Annual Report, 2019 Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that will rise to every 14 seconds in 2019 - and every 11 seconds by 2021. Fraud is on the rise and is predicted to only grow over the next decade.Īt the end of 2016, a business fell victim to a ransomware attack every 40 seconds. *We are refraining from naming the URL in order to not prevent search engines from further increasing the credibility of this fake websiteĪs this example proves, there is a constant need to protect yourself against scammers online, whether you are a business, a corporation or an average person looking to transact or browse the internet. Payment methods were a giveaway too with credit cards being the only option, whereas India is typically a country that relies on digital wallets and cash-on-delivery models. The discounts were way too steep (over 70% for a relatively premium brand) and the prices were oddly specific, such as Rupees 10,843.17 which is quite strange because marketers usually ensure that prices are at or just short of psychological round figures. Did the offers, prices and payment methods appear reliable? No.The contact page was a simple contact form rather than a ticketing platform. Does the website have reliable contact details and inbound links? For a website which dealt in e-commerce, the absence of a support ticket system and a phone number made it very suspicious.How many years has the domain been in use? This domain had been registered just a few weeks ago, primed to tap into peoples’ shopping urges for the holiday season.Here’s a handy explainer on Validation Levels for SSL Certificates Is the SSL certificate EV or OV Validated? No – this was the first big indication that this was indeed a scam website.Does a whois lookup on the domain name help prove its ownership? The Whois data for this domain was unavailable due to GDPR laws, but it was registered through a different domain registrar than the one used for the legitimate international website of the brand.Does the website content appear to be infused with grammar or spelling errors? – Mostly no, in fact it had all the right products, descriptions and photos that mimicked the legitimate brand website, including the website design.

Does the website use HTTPS or an SSL certificate? Yes, it did.

Does the URL match the brand name? The URL of this particular website* matched the brand, and was on a co.in ccTLD, but was quite long (which raised suspicions in the minds of our employee).What’s more, this particular scam website even passed some popular tests and checks suggested by the experts, including: The following screenshot is of a remarkable scam website that he found at the top of a Google search, which could have hoodwinked most uninformed people!Īs it turns out, the brand did not have an e-commerce store that delivered to India but this website did exist.

#Checksite for phishing install

Website scams come in many shapes and forms – some pretend to be brand they are not and try to get you to make a purchase, some obtain your personal information or passwords to potentially sensitive accounts while others might install ransomware on your computer or even mine bitcoin in the background using your computer.Ī day before Christmas 2019, one of the members in our team was looking to purchase jackets from the website of the popular brand NorthFace for his parents who live in India. Here’s a guide on how you can identify scams and stay safe online, in 2020.

#Checksite for phishing software

Experts have made several guidelines to detect and identify fake websites and scams, but as the web has evolved, con artists have also adapted to software and common sense safeguards. The updates reflect recent internet security best practices and emerging threats and trends in the industry.įraud on the internet is almost as old as the internet itself. Note: This article on detecting whether a website is a fraud or scam was first published in Sep.